Edmond, Okla February 12
He was the spoiled rich kid, the immature youngest child. Maybe he was always pampered and coddled, never having to shoulder any responsibility as he grew up.
Perhaps his insolent and adamant demand for his inheritance was no surprise.
Did the weary father give this son his share of the estate to avoid a fight? Was he just worn down? Or maybe he knew this was the only way to redeem his beloved son—cut him loose and let him fall flat.
So he grabbed his all his stuff and left for a distant country. With no intention of returning, he ran far away from his respected family name and responsibilities.
How smug and smart he thought he was as he lived the life of the popular party boy. He thought he had it all, wild living with no one to answer to— until his money ran out, then so did his friends.
To add to his troubles, a famine arrived. Destitute, abandoned, he found a job as a farmer’s pig slopper. Slowly starving, he thought of home.
Memories of his warm bed, and an abundance of food gave him an epiphany. He would offer himself as a repentant servant in his own father’s house.
Surely his father would forgive his rash actions enough to at least bestow servitude on him. He expected nothing more.
Determination fueling his weak body, he squared his skinny shoulders and began the long trudge home.
As he wearily completed the last leg of his arduous journey he saw a figure in the distance. The person seemed to pause for a moment and then broke into a run, covering the ground between them in lightning speed.
It was his father! Was it a coincidence that his father was looking down the road that day? Or did he wistfully look every day?
He joyfully embraced and kissed his broken son. Refusing the outrageous proposal, his father instantly forgave the betrayal and rebellion.
Instead of facing a life of servitude, the bewildered son found himself dressed in the finest clothes and thrust in the middle of a celebration in his honor.
The grave unfaithfulness and mistakes of his past must have weighed heavily on the young man’s mind. But the overwhelming love of his father made him into a new and better man.
How could the son ever forget the love-image seared in his brain, of his dignified father flying down the dusty path, robes flapping, sandals slapping as he ran to embrace him.
And God embraces us every day. We just have to look for him on our own rocky path.
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Luke 15:24-For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. So they began to celebrate.
-Do you have something weighing on your heart that you need to give over to God?
-Thank God for his willingness to forgive all we’ve ever done. Never forget the image of God running to embrace your repentant soul.